Action in Space

Guardians of the Galaxy defies end-of-summer movie doldrums

Up until this point, comic book movies have focused on characters that have either proven popular across the board or those with such a history that a movie about them makes sense. That all changes with the arrival of Guardians of the Galaxy, an outer space-set saga that almost defies description.

Based on a hit-and-miss Marvel Comics series, the core of Guardians is Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), a human who was kidnapped from Earth as a boy for unknown reasons. He’s established himself in the universe as a rogue-for-hire, using his considerable charm and stash of gadgets to complete underhanded tasks.

Guardians of the Galaxy is a welcome respite from the normal decline we see in movies released in August.

His latest job has him making off with an orb with mysterious powers that’s desired by almost everyone he runs across, most notably the evil Ronan (Lee Pace). Through a series of unplanned events, Star-Lord finds himself aligned with four other alien beings: the green Gamora (Zoe Saldana); the muscle-bound and tattooed Drax (Dave Bautista); Rocket, a talking raccoon (Bradley Cooper); and tree creature Groot (Vin Diesel).

As if you couldn’t already tell, the film announces itself as a departure from other Marvel movies with an almost constant lighthearted tone. Aside from the general strangeness of the characters and visuals, snarkiness and sarcasm are littered throughout the dialogue, most notably by Star-Lord and Rocket.

The film also departs from other Marvel movies in that it has an emotional through-line with Star-Lord’s connection to his mother. He was torn away from her at the worst possible moment, and the story uses a mix-tape she made for him to remind us that there’s more to Star-Lord than meets the eye.

The story has parallels with Star Wars, with Star-Lord filling in for Luke Skywalker, Gamora as Princess Leia, Rocket and Groot as Han Solo and Chewbecca, and Drax as, well, the comparisons stop there. Star-Lord is a hero almost by default rather than design; neither he nor those he ends up trying to save would necessarily choose him as a leader.

The only real misstep of the film is the number of side stories and people jammed in. Aside from the main quintet, there are at least three other significant groups director/co-writer James Gunn asks us to care about, something that spreads the film a bit too thin.

However, because our protagonists have such fun together, it’s easy to forgive a bit of excess in other areas. Pratt, as anyone who watches Parks and Recreation knows, has the comedic part of acting down pat, but he uses his newly buff body to convincingly portray an action hero too.

Saldana matches him step-for-step, and with this, Star Trek and Avatar, she’s proven herself as the go-to female for sci-fi movies. Both Cooper, who uses a vaguely New York accent, and Diesel are hilarious in their voiceover roles, and Bautista, a WWE wrestler now dabbling in acting, steals his fair share of scenes.

Although Guardians of the Galaxy can’t claim to being the best film of the summer, it’s a welcome respite from the normal decline we see in movies released in August — and a definite improvement in the quality of Marvel movies overall.

The main quintet of Guardians of the Galaxy is the definition of a ragtag group.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The main quintet of Guardians of the Galaxy is the definition of a ragtag group.

Movie Review

Supergirl loses the sense of fun that Superman brought to DC Comics films

Milly Alcock in Supergirl

Photo courtesy of DC Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures

Milly Alcock in Supergirl.

The new Superman in 2025 brought with a renewed sense of optimism for, if not the concept of the comic book movie, then at least the DC Comics universe. After more than a decade of DC films that felt mostly creatively bankrupt, the leadership of James Gunn gave the story a sense of fun. That included the brief introduction of Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, who’s now getting her own showcase in, naturally, Supergirl.

When we first met her in Superman, Supergirl was in rough shape, arriving at the Fortress of Solitude visibly inebriated. Nothing has changed at the beginning of this film, save for her aimlessly traveling around the universe with her rambunctious dog, Krypto. One of her random stops puts her in the same bar as Ruthye (Eve Ridley), who is looking for help tracking down Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts) and a group known as the Brigands after they brutally murdered her family.

Kara is initially loath to offer aid, but when Krem shoots a poison dart into Krypto while escaping, her motivation goes way up, especially since Krem holds the antidote. Kara, with Ruthye doggedly following her, uses every means available to her to find Krem, a journey that is hampered by galaxies having different colored suns than the one that gives her powers, the yellow sun.

Directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Ana Nogueira, the film is a big step back in the fun category, not least because Supergirl is deep in her feelings for much of the film. Her personal trauma, which is detailed in occasional flashbacks, gives a reason for her depression, but fails to land fully. The story seems to want everyone to be sad, as it includes a child trafficking ring and multiple instances of families being murdered.

Milly Alcock and Krypto in Supergirl.Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

To try to counteract that downer material, the filmmakers give Supergirl many opportunities to show off her fighting skills. While still CGI-heavy, the action scenes contain enough of a semblance of reality that they feel exciting. Unfortunately, this is undercut by the inclusion of several slow-motion sequences, giving the impression that the filmmakers didn’t trust the actors to deliver the goods on a consistent basis.

Superman (David Corenswet) makes a handful of appearances in the film, and while his presence is welcome given how well the character came across in the previous movie, it also doesn’t allow Supergirl to become her own person. Almost everything she does is colored by either her cousin or her parents, and since her powers are identical to those of Superman, there is very little that makes her story unique aside from how she’s dealing with the fallout.

Alcock (House of the Dragon, Sirens) gives an appealing performance despite her character being drunk and/or moody most of the time. She definitely sells what Supergirl is going through, so if given a better story in a future film, she’s proven her capability. Schoenaerts makes for a pretty good villain, although he’s aided by a look that includes a face full of studs. Jason Momoa has a memorable supporting role as the bounty hunter Lobo, even if his character doesn’t add much to the story.

While not a full-on disaster, Supergirl does not continue the momentum that Superman started. With a story that’s more concerned with showing audiences death scenes than a hero saving people, the film doesn’t seem to understand the appeal of a character like Supergirl or how to make her someone audiences will return to over and over again.

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Supergirl is now playing in theaters.

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